Karen waited for her sandwich and for Justin who was still in the café ordering his own meal. She felt guilty sitting here in the sun eating a meal when she knew that Torment was hiding somewhere in Metropolis. But she knew that she had to wait until tonight when Batman got here, she would need all the help she could get and the world's greatest detective would certainly come in handy.
And suddenly Karen felt him, she felt his polluted aura not fifteen feet away . . . then twenty.
She glanced around and caught the sight of a man ducking into an alley just as she looked his way. Standing she made her way around tables, apologizing and excusing herself as she did. She rushed around the corner and down the alley, she saw the hem of a shirt disappear around a back alley and she ran.
"I've got you" she muttered as the turned the corner, but she stopped just short of her prey.
Torment stood face to face with her a sickening smile on his face as he grabbed her and pinned her to the brick wall.
"Detective" he said "how nice to finally have you under my hands again"
"Bastard" Karen snarled. She wished she hadn't left Luna in the motel now, but she had only meant to be out for a few minutes, she didn't think that Luna needed to be woken up for something so trivial. Snapping her fingers she was in her costume and she head butted Torment who dodged but released her.
"Oh don't worry, Karen" Torment said "I only came to give you a message, continue to pry into my affairs and you will find more than just your partner will pay the price"
"What do you mean" she asked her first thought was Justin, but Torment didn't know about Justin.
"His family was so wonderfully terrified" Torment said "and the fool thought he could resist me"
"Jack" Sorceress gasped
"Tata" Torment said with a malicious grin and he was suddenly gone. Karen was shaking but not with anger, with terror. Her stomach had bottomed out and she felt numb.
"Karen" Justin's voice called and she turned just as he turned the corner.
"Get us to Jack's" Karen said grabbing him "now"
Justin didn't even hesitate, the world grayed and within a few moments they were in Jack's living room. And they were met with a horrid sight. Blood splattered the walls of the room and the furniture was destroyed, the only thing left standing in the room was one of the kitchen chairs in which sat Jack his hands and legs bound.
"Jack" Karen cried running across the demolished room "Oh my God" his shirt was gone and he was covered in burn marks bruises and slashes, on one arm his skin was peeled from his flesh and his leg broken. And these were only the wounds she could see at a glance. Jack was barely breathing. Karen didn't even hesitate; she put her hands on his shoulders and began healing him.
"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry" she kept repeating as his wounds closed and she found that several ribs were broken as well as some spinal damage. "Oh my god, please, please be alright" her voice broke as she began crying, sobbing her apologies.
Jack groaned as she continued healing him, his leg and ribs healing.
"Karen" he whispered.
"You're going to be alright" Karen said to him. Justin cut his bounds and made his way to the bedroom door.
"you bitch" Jack suddenly snarled and his fist went across her face, the blow was so unexpected that she had no time to block it and she fell back and Justin turned, just as he opened the door.
"What the hell" Justin asked
"You" Jack stood and thrust his finger in Karen's face "my family and I trusted you, I trusted you to keep my family safe and because of you they nearly died tonight" Helen came out and around to her husband.
"Jack" Helen cried "you're alive" she then glared at Karen "how could you endanger my children like this, how dare you show your face here"
Karen stood and she looked into the pair's eyes and found nothing but the hatred of two parents whose children had been endangered, terrified and afraid and traumatized. Karen looked down at her hands and saw Jack's blood covering them. A fitting image considering she was the one who was responsible for it being there in the first place.
"How in the hell can you say that" Justin snarled "she just saved your life"
"You're right" Karen said quietly "I should have stayed dead that day when the orphanage burnt down, I should never have come back. I knew that there was a possibility that my enemies would use you as a weapon against me. And now he has"
Karen's hands glowed and she cast a spell of regeneration on the living room and the room in a flash returned to the way it had been before Torment had ever knocked on Jack's door. Karen looked around and made sure each detail was imprinted in her mind.
"Jack" Karen started to say
"You shut your mouth" Jack snarled "and get the hell out of my house"
Karen felt her chest tighten and a lump grew in her throat to where she couldn't breathe, but she nodded. She had known him too long to even try to protest, Jack was a family man, his children came first and no matter how long he had known them, if a friend was in any why involved in bringing harm to his family, they were enemies. It was that simple
"I'll go" Karen said "Justin"
"But"
"Justin" Karen snapped but her voice broke.
He came over to her and put a hand on her shoulder; looking back at Jack she felt her tears flow again.
"I'm sorry" she whispered and the world grayed but not before she saw Helen breakdown against her husband, her tears ripping at her very soul.
They returned to their motel room and Luna yipped a greeting only to lay her ears back and whine as Karen's knees gave out from beneath her and she put her face in her hands. Karen's shoulders shook as she sobbed quietly.
She had just lost the best friend she had ever had, a family. It felt as though her heart was ripped into a million pieces. Jack's love had turned into hatred, anger; Helen's smiling face scrunched into a scowl of rage.
Jane and Nick, she hadn't even gotten to see if they were alright, she hadn't been able to say goodbye and now she heard the little girl's voice.
"Aunt Karen, will you do the magic? Please" Magic, it had been Jane's favorite treat, to know that it existed and to share in it, even if they were just little spells, the adorable girl found delight in every one of them. And now Karen would never be able to see that joy again, nor feed Nick while making airplane noises at him to get him to eat it. Never share a scotch with Jack and talk about old times and new, or laugh with Helen in the kitchen as they made dinner together. It was as if a part of her had died.
"Karen" Justin's voice and arms were around her but she pushed him away and stood and went to the fire escape and shut the window. She couldn't be around anyone, not even Luna right now, it was too painful.
After a few hours Luna scratched at the window and Karen let her out, there was barely enough room but Karen welcomed her none the less.
Dusk came and Karen climbed back into the motel room and found Justin sitting there.
"Karen" he started
"Don't" Karen said "we have a job to do"
"But" he started to protest
"Justin" Karen said "get in uniform, we are going to meet Batman and Superman now"
Justin's eye's narrowed and he stood up and put his hands on her shoulders.
"Fine" he said "but you have to talk about it sometime"
Karen turned her back on him
"I'll meet you on the fire escape" Karen said and she climbed back through the window. It didn't take long for Justin to join her and Luna and he put his hand on her shoulder and the world grayed and rushed around them. They appeared on top of the Daily Planet building under the globe.
Batman was already there, hiding in the shadows
"Batman" Sorceress said quietly "you brought the records"
"Yes" Batman said approaching her with a bound folder. She took it from him and pulled out the records and began examining them.
"Just as I thought" Karen said "each of them has a criminal history."
"So" a voice said above and Karen looked up at Superman and a sudden anger possessed her but she kept a firm grip on it. "What does this have to do with anything?"
"Torment is harvesting Chaos magic from the citizens of Metropolis" Karen said dispassionately "this is his last city, and it will be here that his end game will come to pass"
"How do you know that" Superman asked Karen set down the records slowly and turned to the two heroes.
"Because he threatened me today" Karen said quietly holding back her anger at the Man of Steel's arrogance.
Batman's eyes narrowed and Superman looked surprised.
"We need to find Torment quickly" Karen said "before whatever he's planning happens. He needs to be stopped because if I'm right this world will be no more"
"You're telling me some two bit magician is a threat?" Superman said skeptically and Karen's anger burst. She had tried to keep it contained but it was always on her mind that she was waging a war in a city that Superman had claimed to be under his protection. And that he never seemed to be here.
Though she had shouldered the blame for putting Jack and his family in danger, part of her had ranted that Torment would never have tortured Jack if Superman had been taking his duties seriously.
"Two bit huh?" Karen asked him "you arrogant son of a bitch"
"Karen" Shadowalker said
"Shut up" she snarled at him and she glared at Superman "you underestimate the threat, Kent, he could destroy this world and you think that it isn't worth a sack of potatoes"
"Maybe you just aren't strong enough" Superman said and Karen crouched.
"Not strong enough huh?" Sorceress asked and she flew at him her magic multiplying her strength by a hundred and she hit him with an uppercut to the jaw. Superman flew back and over the edge of the building only to fly up again.
"Karen" Batman said grabbing her wrist "stop this"
"Hell no" Justin said "this is awesome."
"Be quiet Shadowalker" Batman said "this won't solve anything"
"It'll make me feel a hell of a lot better" Sorceress said and she wrenched her arm from Batman's grasp just as Superman came at her and she cast a spell of levitation and began flying to meet him and as he came at her she maneuvered above him, wrapped her legs around his neck and somersaulted with the momentum and released him, causing him to fly into the Daily Planet Globe. As Superman climbed out of the gigantic dent that the impact had created Karen held herself ready.
"None of this would have happened if you had been here" Karen shouted at him.
"There are others that need my help"
"Fine" Karen said dodging his punch and giving him a round house kick to the stomach and he flew upwards a couple hundred feet. "But make sure your own house in order before you go and play hero to some alien world. Fifty case files are down there, and each of them is dead, murdered because they possessed magic. That's fifty lives you could have saved"
"And what about you' Superman asked grabbing her next punch and putting her in an arm lock "isn't this magician supposed to be your enemy"
"Yeah he is" Karen said flipping over and kicking him in the side of the head. They flew a ways apart and glared at each other. The only reason she was keeping her upper hand was because she was the superior fighter. "And I've been following him all over the world, trying to capture him. But he's ages old, he has experience of several eras of espionage, the only time I can find him is when he uses his magic and does this sort of thing. But he's doing it in your city and you sit on you high throne and choose to only fight things that you feel give you a challenge."
"That's not true" Superman said
Sorceress summoned her magic to her hands and created a ball of fire and threw them at him, though he dodged they came back and hit him in the back and he fell to the roof again and Sorceress landed and was about to continue the fight but Shadowalker came up behind her and put her in a nelson.
"Karen calm down" he said as she struggled
"Let me go, Justin" Karen snarled fighting against him. Luna was snarling up a storm stalking toward Superman who got up and glared at her and raised a hand to knock her back. The very thought of Superman laying a hand on Luna enraged her. "Don't you dare!"
"Clark" Batman said sharply "both of you calm down, this is counterproductive"
"I don't give a damn" Karen said and she hooked her foot around Justin's leg and leaned back, causing him to lose his balance and fell back. Karen went to Luna and glared at Superman "I told you once that I could take your powers away. Well guess what that day's come"
"Karen" Batman said stepping in front of her but it was too late, Karen had already cast the spell, and she pulled at his aura and in her hand she held a golden ball of light.
"Clark Kent, for the first time in your life you are human' Karen said darkly
"You idiot" Batman said to her
"I'm not done, Bruce" Karen snapped "however you will only stay that way for the duration of this meeting. It would be stupid to keep you powerless when we will need you in the coming fight. Batman when will the others get here"
"A few minutes" Batman said crossing his arms "you're becoming a handful, Karen"
"Good" Karen said running her fingers through Luna's fur. Superman's powers hanging just above her right shoulder. Superman glared at her, silent as a mute. "Did you really think I was bluffing?"
Superman averted his eyes and stared out across the city, and silence settled over the roof top as Luna calmed and sat at Karen's side.
"You might be right" Superman said quietly
"If this is a ploy to get your powers back sooner it won't work" Sorceress said
"It's not" Superman said "honestly it's kind of nice not have to treat everything like an eggshell for a little while. But maybe I have been sidetracked and let my responsibilities slip"
"So you'll listen to her but not me" Batman asked "great"
"I will never forgive you Superman" Karen said quietly "if you had been here, we would have been able to act sooner, and my partner . . . he would never had been hurt"
Karen suddenly sensed others coming and felt the wind of Flash as he blurred to Batman's side
"Here" Flash said
"Good"
"We have come as well" Man Hunter said as he and Wonder Woman landed on either side of Shadowalker.
"Here's the situation" Batman said "we have a wizard that is collecting Chaos magic from various victims and is hording it for some unknown reason. Sorceress believes that he may be opening a portal, and it is also possible that he is working with another wizard also skilled in Chaos magic."
"Klarion?" Wonder Woman asked
"Perhaps" Sorceress said summoning her sword. "but I aim to find out one way or the other" she turned and waved her hand and Superman's powers floated back toward him and entered his chest and for a moment his aura flared in response then disappeared "Don't make me feel the need to do that again"
"Uh what?" Flash asked
"Man Hunter" Karen said "can I talk to you for a moment, in private"
"Of course" he said and he followed her around to the other side of the globe. Karen turned to him and crossed her arms.
"J'onn" she said "I'm sorry to ask you this, but the mind is something I am unfamiliar with. My former partner Jack was tortured by Torment earlier today. And he blames me as he rightly should"
"I do not understand what you are asking of me" J'onn said
"I told him it would have been better if I had stayed dead" Karen said and she looked at him "Martian Man Hunter, I need you to make Jack and his family believe I did die in that orphanage fire two years ago"
"I see" J'onn said "you understand that this will require me to alter memories of you from the last two years, they will not remember you in their lives. They will only remember being a little sad that you were not there with them, or they will only remember those memories as wishful dreams"
"Yes" Sorceress said "I do. They have been through enough because of me, if they can't remember me, and then Torment has no reason to attack them again. I will never return to them again"
"I am not sure I can do this" J'onn said "for it may cause more damage"
"In what way?" Karen asked "they will be oblivious to this world of heroes."
"It may cause more damage to you" J'onn said gently
"Then so be it" Sorceress said "I deserve it for what I put them through, please I am begging you J'onn"
Martian Man Hunter looked at her gravely but sighed and nodded.
"Your reasoning is sound" he said "and it would spare innocents from a trauma that could have been avoided."
"Thank you" Karen said and she stopped "I would have done this myself, but I am a magic user, I can read thoughts but not change them"
"I understand"
"Are you ready" Shadowalker asked coming around the globe base.
"Let's go" Karen said and she put her hand into Luna's fur and the other on Justin's shoulder
The world grayed and they stood just beyond an industrial district.
"Why are we here" Karen asked
"Batman thought that this would be the most logical place that he would be" Justin said. And she turned away from him
"Then what are we waiting for" Karen asked but Justin grabbed her hand.
"You should try and patch up things up with Jack" Justin said
"it won't happen" Karen said "I've known Jack for years, he was my first partner I know him, I put his children in danger and to him that's unforgivable, nothing will change his mind, his family comes first before anything else."
"You never meant for that to happen" Justin said gently
"No" Karen said "but it did and there is no denying that I am the one to blame"
"Karen" he protested but she pulled her hand out of his and turned to him
"And when this is over" she said "I'm leaving, I need to get my head on straight, and that doesn't include you"
"What" he asked
"You heard me Justin" Karen said "don't you see? Everyone close to me gets hurt and I . . . I couldn't stand it if you paid the price of my selfishness"
"Damn you, dragon lady" he snarled "I don't give a damn if that bastard rips my freaking heart out. I'm not leaving you"
"Just shut up already" Karen said harshly "we have a job to do, and I can't have you distracting me"
With that she sat and levitated, meditating and slowly letting down her shields. She could feel hundreds of aura's beating at her mind, magic flowed little here, because of all the industry and technology used in this place. Within seconds she knew that he wasn't here.
"He's not here" Karen said "let's go"
"I'm not going anywhere" Justin said "until we get this shit worked out"
"Idiot" Karen said "fine then, Torment knows I'm here anyway I might as well."
Karen reached for the flow of magic and touching Luna, she yanked on it and the roaring in her ears was a welcome one, she hadn't used her magic like this for awhile and it felt good to not need to rely on someone else for transportation. They appeared in the middle of town square, much to the surprise of the night lifers. Karen and Luna went to the subway entrance and made their way down.
"Alright Luna" Karen said "lets' see if we can find that bastard"
Luna just looked at her then lay down with a wolfish groan.
"Luna?" she asked and she received an image of Justin in her mind "what about him?"
The only thing she received was her turning her back and it suddenly became clear to her, Luna was upset that Karen had left him behind.
"Are you serious" Karen said "he's going to get killed if he keeps hanging around me."
The image she received was of her and Justin in passionate embrace and Karen could feel herself blushing and her heart racing. She put her head in her hands and sat next to Luna, she felt her tears hot against her skin and she began to cry.
"Damn him" she snarled behind her tears. "Why does he have to affect me like this when he isn't even here?"
Karen wiped her tears and glared at Luna.
"it doesn't matter" Karen said "this is my fight, if you want to stay here and pout then fine Luna, I'll move on without you" Karen stood and jumped down onto the tracks and began making her way down the tracks where she was sensing the increased Chaos magic. It was a few moments then she heard Luna's paws following her behind her. She felt only irritation from the wolf as if she was saying "like I'm going to let you do this alone" and Karen smiled
"Thank you Luna" Karen said and she only sneezed in response.